Tag: cats

happiness · inspiration

My Ultimate List of 27 Happiness Finders!

Joanne4 Comments

How do you define happiness? Ever given it much thought? Perhaps it’s simply a matter of flippantly commenting that you are either happy, or unhappy, without giving the feeling any further thought at all.

The theme this month at the Calm Space is “happiness” and I have been giving the feeling of happiness some further investigation myself. My conclusion is ~ happiness is a state of mind, and an extremely personal state at that.

It is impossible for another person to make you feel happy. You may feel happy when spending time with someone special to you, perhaps a person you love. Thoughtful actions from a person can give a feeling of happiness as well. Remember though, they didn’t make you feel that way, you made the decision to feel happy yourself; it was your own choice.

Yes, happiness is very personal.

Happiness arrives in my own life in a multitude of different ways. Today, I will share with you my ultimate list, (in no particular order), of things that make me happy, swell my heart, make my spirit soar and bring a smile to my face. 🙂

Happiness is…

  • Stroking my cat’s silky fur and listening to them purr.
  • Listening to my son play the piano.
  • Eating chocolate and drinking coffee, together.
  • Watching a bee collect pollen from a flower in my garden.
  • Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin, on a cool winter’s day.
  • The cooling summer’s rain, hitting my hot, sticky skin.
  • Listening to the chiming of my clock.
  • My dog, leaping after the ball, when we play fetch.
  • Walking along the beach, on a winter’s day.
  • Writing a letter and posting it, the old-fashioned way.
  • Hearing the happiness in my daughter’s voice, when she talks to her friends.
  • A hawk, gliding high above the ground, in search of its prey.
  • The sky full of twinkling stars, on a clear night.
  • Hearing the sound of a child’s laughter.
  • A picnic in the park, next to the river.
  • Reading a book, with no interruptions.
  • The smell of roses and the feeling of the petals touching my face.
  • Baking a favourite cake in my kitchen.
  • A hug from one of my children.
  • The feel of the black velvet fur of my dog.
  • Cuddling up under a blanket on a cold night.
  • Eating a freshly picked mandarin, from the tree in my garden.
  • Seeing the ocean, from the back of my house, on a clear day.
  • Taking a holiday with my family, at my favourite holiday destination.
  • Arriving home again, refreshed, after a holiday.
  • Spending hours, browsing through a second-hand book shop.
  • Holding a new born baby.

Just thinking about these things makes me happy! 🙂

This list could go on forever! I’m sure you could add so much more to the list…so please do!

Don’t forget to pop over to the Calm Space also, where you will find Angela feeling grateful for happiness, Chania Girl giving up on the pursuit of happiness (fun!) and Káren declaring that it’s all about happiness! 🙂

challenges · Changes · inspiration

A Sunday Job in Progress

Joanne3 Comments

My house is in total disarray. Master twelve thinks it looks as though we have just moved into a new house while my two cats are in a state of total confusion. The dog has been banished to the backyard.

It’s all for a worthy cause, however the cats have their doubts! The Man of the House (M.O.T.H.) and I both agree it is a job well overdue.

Yesterday we dismantled the main living area of the house, this being the “Family Room”, which comprises of the kitchen, meals area and the family lounge room, (as opposed to my Quiet Room).

The M.O.T.H. painted the whole ceiling area yesterday afternoon, not an easy task and one which has left him with a major “kink” in the neck!

Before I emptied the dresser, to be pulled away from the wall, I bemoaned the fact that it would take forever to remember where everything went, but with trusty camera in hand, I now have photographic evidence of the original placement of all my kitchen wares.

The mirror is down from over the mantelpiece, as is the mantelpiece itself. The house has not looked this bare since we built it, over sixteen years ago.

Curtains are down, mats removed, cupboards and bookcases emptied; the television cabinet is yet to be moved, which will be a major feat, as the fish tank is sitting on top of it!

There’s barely a room in the house that doesn’t contain the clutter of the rearrangement.

A new lounge-suite is due to arrive any day. The old family room lounge has served the family well for the past twelve years, and now it is time for it to move on.

Donned in my painting clothes, the M.O.T.H. and I will be tackling the walls today. I agonised over a colour change for the room and have settled on a coffee colour, which I am hoping will be as easy to live with as the cool shades of pale green, which we are replacing.

Meanwhile, Queen Cat has found herself a private couch in an out of the way room and little Cutie Cat is still unimpressed!

For me, it’s hi-ho, hi-ho and off to work I go! 🙂

advice · challenges · inspiration

A Pleasurable Chore

Joanne2 Comments

What is the big attraction for cats, to ironing boards?

Currently I reside in a home belonging to two fury felines. (I’ve been told to stick with two as a maximum, as three would classify me as a “crazy cat lady”.)

That’s right, my little ladies are typical princesses, they allow our family to share their home, and conditions apply; a regular stream of dry kitty biscuits, nightly feeds of pongy fish, always fresh water available, a clean litter tray, first choice of comfy seat to curl up on and the freedom to choose whichever bed they wish to sleep on each night.

When they are in the mood, we are allowed to scratch them under their chin, or stroke their fur, for an unspecified period of time. If the scratching and/or stroking of fur exceeds their expectations, permission is to be granted for them to bite our hand.

Oh yes, cats are very demanding creatures. And if you have ever enjoyed the privilege of being owned by one, you will have experienced the pure delight of hearing that rumbling sound of happiness when they are purring and the out-pouring of love they show when they rub the whole of their bodies up against your legs.

On the days I wish to do my ironing, if one of them chooses the ironing board as a bed that day, I am expected to iron my clothes around their positioning on the board. On days when they feel generous enough, they will actually choose to sleep under the ironing board. But only if I’m lucky.

Such is my love for my feline friends that without them, my house would not be a home. Unfortunately for me, that love does not extend as far as the ironing!

As far as household chores go, vacuuming and dusting are enjoyable enough, with the end result of sparkling furniture and lint-free floors in mind. Bathroom and toilet cleaning can be tolerable as well, and washing the clothes gives me an excuse (not that I need one) to go out into the garden for a while.

And then, there’s the ironing. I’ve struggled for years to find an excuse to enjoy ironing. It has been suggested that I don’t do any ironing, but crumpled clothes? Yuk! There simply had to be an answer, some way for me to enjoy the one household chore that, well, just doesn’t appeal to me.

The solution is simple, really. These days, I listen to music! If only my brainstorm have arrived years earlier…these days I bop away to my heart’s content, iron in hand.

This afternoon, my aim is to clear away the ironing, making a clear space on the chair for anyone, or any cat, who wishes to sit there. (Actually, the cats don’t mind the ironing pile; they sleep comfortably buried in it, for hours!)

The moral to this story is, (yes, there’s a moral here; do you think I’d babble away about the detested ironing for no reason?) ~ look for something enjoyable in everything you do. Just set your mind to it and search for the answer. You’ll find one…I did. 🙂